Uruguay took its football, the candombe and its most highlighted export products to Russia

Accompanying the participation of the Uruguayan National Team in the first stage of the World Cup in Russia, Uruguay XXI carried out various activities aimed at food buyers, entrepreneurs and potential investors, international press and public opinion, with the purpose of spreading the Country Brand, promoting exports and attracting investments.

Uruguay´s debut match was the kickoff of a series of actions in Russian territory in which it was possible to taste premium national products under the gastronomic coordination of the chefs Sebastián Barcos and Bruno Imbert, and the sommelier Javier Muyala who presented meats, wines, olive oils, cheeses, caviar and rice in different preparations.

The gastronomic team of Uruguay also took part in several meetings of Latin American culture, including the inauguration of the house of Peru and the house of Mexico. With this last one, in an activity coordinated by México Brand and Uruguay Brand, it was carried out a gastronomic exchange between the Uruguayan chefs and the Mexican chef Gerardo Quezadas that allowed enjoying delicacies such as avocado, dulce de leche, cheeses, meat and chili peppers.

Wednesday, June 20, the date of the victory against Saudi Arabia team, also served as a framework for an event to present the country, in which the Undersecretary of the Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ariel Bergamino, and the Ambassador of Uruguay in Russia, Enrique Delgado presented before more than 200 businessmen, investors and authorities, the main reasons to invest, work and live in Uruguay.

Likewise, on June 21 and 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the second meeting of the Uruguay-Russia Joint Commission for the Contribution to the Development of Economic-Commercial Relations. With the presence of Bergamino and his Russian counterpart led by the Head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control, Sergey Alexeevich Dankvert, the plenary of the meeting highlighted the progress in the implementation of the Action Plan for the Development of Bilateral Cooperation agreed in February 2017, emphasizing the possibilities and commitment to continue progress in the areas of trade, investment, renewable energy and innovation.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, June 21, the exhibition "The First World Cup" was inaugurated at the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow, which will run until Saturday, September 1st. The exhibition - which on its first day received some 700 people, including authorities, guests and foreign public - adds to the activities a commemorative series of the 1930 World Cup, the first in history and which had Uruguay as the protagonist for being host and champion.

There, visitors can see 60 photographs of the era that show the teams that played in the competition and the construction of the emblematic Centenario Stadium, as well as several objects of the Football Museum in Uruguay, including the cup that was given to the country as the first champion of the world.

This event was also held within the framework of the campaign for the 2030 World Cup and in collaboration with the Embassy of Uruguay in Russia, the National Sports Secretariat, the Photography Center of Montevideo and the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow.

In all the instances contemporary candombe shows played by the Uruguayan percussionist "Tatita" Márquez were in charge of the entertainment, and the song "United by Love", one of the official pieces of the sports event sung by Natalia Oreiro and with a base of candombe composed by the abovementioned musician, was performed live.

On Monday, June 18, Marquez's drums also toured the Red Square in Moscow and delighted tourists and journalists from around the world to the rhythm of Candombe, including dancing.

"We were really surprised by the acceptance and enjoyment of the proposals from an audience that is new to Uruguay. We are talking about high profile people, interested in investments and tourism in new destinations, who highlighted the quality and warmth they found in our events and expressed their interest to know Uruguay soon, "said the manager of Country Brand, Larissa Perdomo, who directed the activities from Russia

Whereas the international campaign of digital content associated with the country brand under the motto #OthersGoalsofUruguay, will be in action during the entire participation of the Uruguayan National Team in the World Cup. This initiative deployed in several European cities such as Madrid, London and Berlin, as well as in San Pablo, aims to position the country as a logistics and technology hub, producer of reliable food, a reference in clean energy, and institutional macroeconomic and life quality.

The promotional activities of Uruguay XXI in Russia were organized together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Embassy of Uruguay in Russia, the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Tourism, partners in the promotion of the country abroad.